My husband has had a rotten tooth since he joined the army (in 2002) he went to the army dentist but they just filled it, well now its starting to get alot worse, it has rotted so much the filing has ...

About 4 weeks ago I had my top left wisdom tooth removed and the doctor also filled the two teeth in front of the extraction. 2-weeks ago I had the bottom left wisdom tooth remove and the doctor also ...

The edges of the filling starts to break down. It create a very small microscopic gap between the filling and tooth. The gap, however is large enough for the bacteria to enter. The bacteria decays the tooth under the existing filling. Dental term the flling is "leaking" causing recurrent decay.

bunny4

sometimes the filling can "leak", which means that there is an opening for bacteria to get under the filling again and cause decay. another thing, just because the tooth has a filling on it, doesn't mean that you don't have to take care of it. brushing three times a day, and flossing at least once a day will prevent tooth decay. also, the use of act fluoride rinse once a day, in the evening, before you go to bed will also prevent tooth decay.

Rin

this happened to me. I got a new cavity in one with a filling. it was in a different area of the tooth apparently (so my dentist said). actually I suspect that my dentist messed up with the filling and so my tooth was not protected from other cavities. so maybe it results from improper fillings.

rxing

yes you can and these make the structure of your tooth weaken, I have had alot of toothwork, it could be because you dont have a cap put on, or from plaque buildup and then it builds. Once I started getting regular cleanings and using Listerine all the cavitie and decay went away and now I am in the process of rebuilding my mouth.

Also sometimes when you have a small cavity they just take care of the small hole they dont do anything to protect the remainder of the tooth, so if you have alot of "fishers" in a back molar and they just fixed the small cavity then you can still get another cavity in another "fisher" in the same tooth.

the have this thing called "sealant" that apply a film on the tooth and protects them from cavities, like a barrier. I just put the on my kids before they get cavities. Good luck to you and look into the sealants for your back teeth.

bbgmom95

If the filling is old, it can "leak" which allows more bacteria into the cavity, creating more dacay. if it's a newer filling, maybe it wasn't done right the first time.

mschrissy

depends on how long ago it was filled, the same thing happen to me. but the filling was like 10 or 12 years old so they had to fil it again.

Dr. Albert, DDS, (USA)

I WILL ANSWER YOUR QUESTION WITH A QUESTION.
Q. WHAT IS SMALLER, THE GAP BETWEEN YOUR FILLING AND TOOTH OR A BACTERIUM?
JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE A FILLING WON'T MEAN THAT A MICROSCOPIC GAP ISN'T THERE TOO.
FILLINGS MAY DEVELOP RECURRENT DECAY.

Heather N

Your filling is made of metal or a metal alloy. Metal expands and contracts with heat and cold. Bacteria and plaque can still get under the filling. It's called seepage. This causes recurrent decay.